This highly-acclaimed and popular and free outdoor concert series at the Village at Squaw Valley features dynamic performances by a host of nationally and internationally known blues musicians, great grab-and-go food offerings from Village restaurants and a "Blues Bar" with beer, wine & spirits available in the Events Plaza. During the summer Bluesdays series get discounted Aerial Tram and activity packages, food and drink specials, and lodging sales every Tuesday.

BLUESDAYS 2019 SCHEDULE

June 11 – The Blues Monsters
The Blues Monsters will open the Bluesdays series for the sixth consecutive year. The only local band on the lineup, the Blues Monsters formed 28 years ago. The rockin’ blues quartet—Dunn, Tom Barnes, Barry Slayton and Michael Overhauser—will add the three-member Groove Foundry horn section—Jen Campbell, Brian “Nak” Nakagawa and Todd Mather—for a nonstop set from 6 to 8:30 p.m. South Shore keyboardist Terry “The Secret Weapon” Ogg also will join the jam. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

June 18 — Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings
Slide guitar master Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings—bassist Steve Ehrmann and drummer Kevin Hayes—will appear onstage in The Village at Squaw Valley. But it won’t be Rogers’ first time performing in Tahoe. In the mid-1960s, when he was just a middle-schooler from Vallejo, California, Rogers played guitar and sang for a band called The Newports, who played the Truckee High School Senior Prom. He has since released numerous albums with Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings and had years-long collaborations with Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker and Ray Manzarek. He won a Grammy Award for his production work with John Lee Hooker. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

June 25 – Vanessa Collier
The first of two rising young blues stars in this season’s lineup, saxophonist and singer-songwriter Vanessa Collier has been nominated for five Blues Music Awards, including two this year: Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year and Best Instrument, Horn. She earned dual degrees at Berklee College of Music in 2013, after which she hit the road touring with Joe Louis Walker. This Bluesday appearance will be her first performance in the area. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

July 2 – Mark Hummel – Golden State Lone Star Revue ft. Rusty Zinn
The streak continues—harmonica star Mark Hummel will return to Bluesdays for the eighth-straight year. Blues purists appreciate Hummel’s straight-ahead style. He’s presented Harmonica Blues Blowouts with all-star players for decades, has released dozens of albums and in 2012 published a book, Big Road Blues: 12 Bars On I-80. The Golden State/Lone Star Revue is comprised of musicians from California and Texas. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

July 9 – Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
He’s a blues prodigy, a teenager who already has recorded with Eric Gales and Buddy Guy. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, 19, is from the epicenter of Delta blues: Clarksdale, Mississippi. The shredding Stratocaster guitarist says his greatest influence is Muddy Waters. He has shared the stage with Waters’ guitarist Bob Margolin, as well as Samantha Fish. His debut album, “Kingfish,” will be released on May 17, and he has a single, “Fresh Out,” which features Buddy Guy. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

July 16 – Danielle Nicole
After her family band—Trampled Under Foot—disbanded, Danielle Nicole Schnebelen dropped the last name and released an acclaimed solo album in 2015, “Wolf Den.” Danielle Nicole’s follow-up studio album, “Cry No More,” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Blues Album Chart last March and it later received a 2019 Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album. She sings like Etta James, but her bass playing is fantastic as well. In 2014, Danielle Nicole won a Blues Music Award for Best Instrumentalist, and before going solo full-time she played bass with the North Mississippi Allstars. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

July 23 – Coco Montoya
One of the most respected artists in blues, Coco Montoya will appear at Squaw Valley for the third-straight summer. Montoya is a graduate of the school of Albert. Montoya plays guitar like Albert King, left-handed and upside down, but his tone sounds like Albert Collins. Montoya played drums and toured with Collins for nearly five years before leaving the music profession for a while. He returned to music as a guitar player with John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

July 30 – Chris Cain
San Jose’s Cain has played Bluesdays more than any other artist. He attended a B.B. King concert when he was just 3 years old and it must have made quite an impression. You can hear King’s influence in everything he plays. Cain studied jazz, which he taught at San Jose City College, and was a professional player before turning 18. His recording career began in 1987. He also plays piano, bass, clarinet and saxophone. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

August 6 – Sugaray Rayford
This Sugaray is a musical heavyweight. A big man at 6-foot-5, Sugaray Rayford appears on stages and in studios making hits with a soulful voice. Over his career, he moved from gospel to R&B and now to the blues. Rayford played in a large R&B band for about five years, but he wanted to sing blues. After sitting in at an open mic in Temecula, blues doors opened wide. His band Aunt Kizzy’s Boys placed second at the International Blues Challenge. He has since received numerous BMA nominations as a solo artist, including two this year for Soul Blues Male Artist and B.B. King Entertainer of the Year. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

August 13 – Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers
The Stratocaster star also played Bluesdays in 2013 and 2017. Thackery has a unique guitar sound and he plays in a fuzzy style similar to Dick Dale’s surf music. His voice is a growl and his sense of humor a bit off-the-wall. Thackery fronted a Washington, D.C. band, the Nighthawks, for 14 years. It made 20 records before splitting up in 1986, although there are reunion shows. The Drivers began in 1992. It’s hard to total all of Thackery’s albums, but it is at the least more than 40. Thackery lives in Belize, South America. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

August 20 – Dennis Jones Band
Returning to Bluesdays for the third time in four years, the Los Angeles-based Dennis Jones Band is equally comfortable playing straight-ahead rock ‘n’ roll and lowdown blues. The band’s fifth album, “Both Sides of the Tracks,” proves just that. Jones describes his show as “back and forth” between blues and rock, saying he knows he doesn’t fit the traditional sound, but hopes people get what he puts out. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

August 27 – Honey Island Swamp Band
This band formed in San Francisco after Hurricane Katrina displaced its members from New Orleans. This band plays a blend of blues, soul, R&B and drips of Louisiana wetlands. It’s been described as Bayou Americana. On the 10-year anniversary of Katrina, the band released the album, “Demolition Day,” produced by Luther Dickinson. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

September 3 –  Popa Chubby
A big man with a shaved head, goatee and tattoos, Popa Chubby looks like a biker, but he’s a bluesman. He describes himself as “The Stooges meets, Buddy Guy, Motorhead meets Muddy Waters and Jimmy Hendrix meets Robert Johnson.” – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

All shows are weather permitting and subject to change. Food and drink are available in the Village. No outside alcohol is allowed.

For Bluesdays alerts, updates, special offers, and to enter to win a KEEP TAHOE BLUES shirt & sticker, join the Bluesdays Text Alert - text BLUESDAYS to 24587 on your mobile phone.

Get ready for another incredible 12-week FREE concert series at Commons Beach in Tahoe City! Guests are welcome to bring picnics, blankets, and low-back chairs for a perfect lakeside evening. Local food and drink vendors sell beer, wine, soft drinks, sushi, bbq foods, ice cream, and more.

The 2019 Concerts On Commons Beach Schedule

June 23: Mumbo Gumbo

For over 25 years, Mumbo Gumbo has been one of Northern California's top groups, releasing nine original albums and collecting numerous Sammie and Best of Sacramento awards. The seven-piece band tours the Western United States, bringing their genre-bending Americana music to their many fans. Their big musical stew contains elements of soul, zydeco, folk, blues, rock, Cajun, Caribbean, and country all mixed into their uniquely festive roots-music sound.

June 30: Joy & Madness

An eight-piece soul and funk explosion out of Sacramento that could be described as Jamiroqui meets J. Geils, Joy & Madness has been rocking stages all over the West Coast since inception. With a raucous mix of raw stonesy energy, pulsing groove, and juicy horn lines coloring tightly crafted songs, Joy & Madness brings a modern classic pop sensibility to a new age of joyous funk and soul.

July 7: SambaDá

Dubbed the West Coast’s hottest Brazilian band by promoters, journalists and fans, SambaDá musically unites the Americas. Based in the rich musical traditions of Brazil, SambaDá also references salsa and cumbia, and blends them playfully with funk and reggae beats. The band is known for its high-energy percussion, danceable grooves and visually dynamic show.

July 14: Midtown Social

The Bay Area’s favorite soul party band, Midtown Social’s freshly squeezed blend of California soul, funk, and rock is downright irresistible. Midtown Social is a nine-piece tour-de-force. But it’s more than just a band. Together, these nine musicians are a collaborative community of writers, arrangers and artists. When they’re on stage, they invite you into the family.

July 21: Orgōne + The Beer Gardeners

Formed in the late 1990s in Los Angeles, Orgone remains dedicated to creating heavy, raw, adrenaline-fueled funk and sweat-dripping soul. With a core rhythm section of close friends and self-taught musicians steeped in the DJ culture of L.A., Orgone has spent the last decade expanding their roster and evolving a sound that simultaneously recognizes its roots in old school respect and pulsates with the force of the new millennium.

The Beer Gardeners are Lake Tahoe's strictly casual, good time, fun, rockin', beer and peanuts bar and party band who perform loud and high-energy rock and blues including twisted covers, mystery b-sides, and many new originals. The band was formed on a whim in early 1991 in the infamous, but now defunct Beer Garden at Squaw Valley and has kept the good times going since then.

July 28: The Blues Monsters + Groove Foundry

The Blues Monsters have been taking center stage for over 20 years offering a powerfully unique combination of R&B, funk, jazz, and Chicago-style blues high in the mountains. Polished, tight, yet bursting at the seams, their originals are fresh and new, even though it's still the blues. Their covers are framed in signature arrangements that demonstrated the depth of the band's talent. Whether paying respects to the masters of traditional blues, or rockin' out other tunes, The Blues Monsters get the whole house up and dancing.

Tahoe City’s own Groove Foundry features a trio of powerhouse horns over smokin' hot funky six-piece rhythm section, featuring gritty vocals and impressive solos.

August 4: Hot Buttered Rum

Hot Buttered Rum, a souped-up, left-coast string band, is the brainchild of five uniquely gifted musicians who weave their love of bluegrass, folk, jazz and soul into a riveting strain of Americana. String bass and five-alarm fiddle merge with guitar, banjo, mandolin and drums to frame the voices of its two contrasting writers, fueling a dance party with roots in Appalachia and its branches in California. Nearly twenty years into its journey, HBR’s music, dreamed up in the backcountry of the High Sierra and the basements of San Francisco, has found its way into the hearts, minds and bodies of fans nationwide.

August 11: Poor Man’s Whiskey

Poor Man’s Whiskey is Northern California’s outlaw music, bringing a reputation for high-energy live shows and an incomparable fusion of bluegrass/old time, southern rock, and old school jam to stages and festivals worldwide. This “High-Octane Hootenanny” will certainly delight those interested in a foot-stompin good time. Poor Man’s Whiskey has evolved into a ragged, spontaneous beast pulling from equally deep wells of story-telling originals, expertly crafted covers and zany on-stage shenanigans.

August 18: Diggin’ Dirt

Diggin Dirt began planting its roots back in 2011 in the town of Arcata, CA in Humboldt County. The original lineup was a jammed out quintet that consisted of a double guitar rhythm section and a tenor saxophone. With the addition of a vocalist and baritone saxophone, The band began touring outside of Humboldt County throughout California and Oregon, and was met with a tremendous response. The band is influenced by funk heavy hitters such as James Brown, Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins and Sly and the Family Stone as well as reggae bands like Steel Pulse and modern funk like Orgone. Dirt has appeared at several festivals including High Sierra Music Festival, Salmonfest, Emerald Forest, the Trinity River Jamboree, Northern Nights, and the Benbow Summer Arts and Music Festival among others.

August 25: Dead Winter Carpenters

Tahoe’s own Dead Winter Carpenters blend Americana roots-rock with a tinge of straightforward ‘tell-it-like-it-is’ Alt. Country to bring hard-hitting performances that are as edgy as they are whimsical. The band pushes and pulls at musical boundaries with top-notch, live performances while walking the line with unexpected musical flair. With an unbridled spirit and an authentic approach to songwriting, the experience of an evening with Dead Winter Carpenters epitomizes what live music is all about.

September 1: Lebo & Friends

Dan Lebowitz (Lebo) is best known as a founding member of ALO, a California rock band he has been playing guitar and singing with since he was 13 years old. ALO has released four albums on Brushfire/Universal records and currently has a fifth one in the works. In his own group, Lebo brings an all-star lineup of Bay Area aces to deliver an intoxicating blend of melodic rock, California funk and soul.   

Concerts at Commons Beach’s free shows are made possible by individual donations and the generosity of community sponsors. Summer 2019 sponsors include:

Sponsors are still being accepted for 2019. Learn more at www.concertsatcommonsbeach.com.

For more information about upcoming events and things to do in Tahoe City this summer, visit www.visittahoecity.org, follow us on Instagram @visittahoecity or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/VisitTahoeCity.

Welcome to Truckee Thursdays! For eleven Thursdays each summer, we transform Historic Downtown Truckee into an exciting street fair featuring local and regional artisans, food trucks, a beer garden and everyone's favorite, live music.

This highly-acclaimed and popular and free outdoor concert series at the Village at Squaw Valley features dynamic performances by a host of nationally and internationally known blues musicians, great grab-and-go food offerings from Village restaurants and a "Blues Bar" with beer, wine & spirits available in the Events Plaza. During the summer Bluesdays series get discounted Aerial Tram and activity packages, food and drink specials, and lodging sales every Tuesday.

BLUESDAYS 2019 SCHEDULE

June 11 – The Blues Monsters
The Blues Monsters will open the Bluesdays series for the sixth consecutive year. The only local band on the lineup, the Blues Monsters formed 28 years ago. The rockin’ blues quartet—Dunn, Tom Barnes, Barry Slayton and Michael Overhauser—will add the three-member Groove Foundry horn section—Jen Campbell, Brian “Nak” Nakagawa and Todd Mather—for a nonstop set from 6 to 8:30 p.m. South Shore keyboardist Terry “The Secret Weapon” Ogg also will join the jam. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

June 18 — Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings
Slide guitar master Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings—bassist Steve Ehrmann and drummer Kevin Hayes—will appear onstage in The Village at Squaw Valley. But it won’t be Rogers’ first time performing in Tahoe. In the mid-1960s, when he was just a middle-schooler from Vallejo, California, Rogers played guitar and sang for a band called The Newports, who played the Truckee High School Senior Prom. He has since released numerous albums with Roy Rogers & The Delta Rhythm Kings and had years-long collaborations with Carlos Santana, Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker and Ray Manzarek. He won a Grammy Award for his production work with John Lee Hooker. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

June 25 – Vanessa Collier
The first of two rising young blues stars in this season’s lineup, saxophonist and singer-songwriter Vanessa Collier has been nominated for five Blues Music Awards, including two this year: Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year and Best Instrument, Horn. She earned dual degrees at Berklee College of Music in 2013, after which she hit the road touring with Joe Louis Walker. This Bluesday appearance will be her first performance in the area. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

July 2 – Mark Hummel – Golden State Lone Star Revue ft. Rusty Zinn
The streak continues—harmonica star Mark Hummel will return to Bluesdays for the eighth-straight year. Blues purists appreciate Hummel’s straight-ahead style. He’s presented Harmonica Blues Blowouts with all-star players for decades, has released dozens of albums and in 2012 published a book, Big Road Blues: 12 Bars On I-80. The Golden State/Lone Star Revue is comprised of musicians from California and Texas. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

July 9 – Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
He’s a blues prodigy, a teenager who already has recorded with Eric Gales and Buddy Guy. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, 19, is from the epicenter of Delta blues: Clarksdale, Mississippi. The shredding Stratocaster guitarist says his greatest influence is Muddy Waters. He has shared the stage with Waters’ guitarist Bob Margolin, as well as Samantha Fish. His debut album, “Kingfish,” will be released on May 17, and he has a single, “Fresh Out,” which features Buddy Guy. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

July 16 – Danielle Nicole
After her family band—Trampled Under Foot—disbanded, Danielle Nicole Schnebelen dropped the last name and released an acclaimed solo album in 2015, “Wolf Den.” Danielle Nicole’s follow-up studio album, “Cry No More,” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Blues Album Chart last March and it later received a 2019 Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album. She sings like Etta James, but her bass playing is fantastic as well. In 2014, Danielle Nicole won a Blues Music Award for Best Instrumentalist, and before going solo full-time she played bass with the North Mississippi Allstars. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

July 23 – Coco Montoya
One of the most respected artists in blues, Coco Montoya will appear at Squaw Valley for the third-straight summer. Montoya is a graduate of the school of Albert. Montoya plays guitar like Albert King, left-handed and upside down, but his tone sounds like Albert Collins. Montoya played drums and toured with Collins for nearly five years before leaving the music profession for a while. He returned to music as a guitar player with John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

July 30 – Chris Cain
San Jose’s Cain has played Bluesdays more than any other artist. He attended a B.B. King concert when he was just 3 years old and it must have made quite an impression. You can hear King’s influence in everything he plays. Cain studied jazz, which he taught at San Jose City College, and was a professional player before turning 18. His recording career began in 1987. He also plays piano, bass, clarinet and saxophone. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

August 6 – Sugaray Rayford
This Sugaray is a musical heavyweight. A big man at 6-foot-5, Sugaray Rayford appears on stages and in studios making hits with a soulful voice. Over his career, he moved from gospel to R&B and now to the blues. Rayford played in a large R&B band for about five years, but he wanted to sing blues. After sitting in at an open mic in Temecula, blues doors opened wide. His band Aunt Kizzy’s Boys placed second at the International Blues Challenge. He has since received numerous BMA nominations as a solo artist, including two this year for Soul Blues Male Artist and B.B. King Entertainer of the Year. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

August 13 – Jimmy Thackery & The Drivers
The Stratocaster star also played Bluesdays in 2013 and 2017. Thackery has a unique guitar sound and he plays in a fuzzy style similar to Dick Dale’s surf music. His voice is a growl and his sense of humor a bit off-the-wall. Thackery fronted a Washington, D.C. band, the Nighthawks, for 14 years. It made 20 records before splitting up in 1986, although there are reunion shows. The Drivers began in 1992. It’s hard to total all of Thackery’s albums, but it is at the least more than 40. Thackery lives in Belize, South America. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

August 20 – Dennis Jones Band
Returning to Bluesdays for the third time in four years, the Los Angeles-based Dennis Jones Band is equally comfortable playing straight-ahead rock ‘n’ roll and lowdown blues. The band’s fifth album, “Both Sides of the Tracks,” proves just that. Jones describes his show as “back and forth” between blues and rock, saying he knows he doesn’t fit the traditional sound, but hopes people get what he puts out. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

August 27 – Honey Island Swamp Band
This band formed in San Francisco after Hurricane Katrina displaced its members from New Orleans. This band plays a blend of blues, soul, R&B and drips of Louisiana wetlands. It’s been described as Bayou Americana. On the 10-year anniversary of Katrina, the band released the album, “Demolition Day,” produced by Luther Dickinson. – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

September 3 –  Popa Chubby
A big man with a shaved head, goatee and tattoos, Popa Chubby looks like a biker, but he’s a bluesman. He describes himself as “The Stooges meets, Buddy Guy, Motorhead meets Muddy Waters and Jimmy Hendrix meets Robert Johnson.” – Tim Parsons, Tahoe Onstage

All shows are weather permitting and subject to change. Food and drink are available in the Village. No outside alcohol is allowed.

For Bluesdays alerts, updates, special offers, and to enter to win a KEEP TAHOE BLUES shirt & sticker, join the Bluesdays Text Alert - text BLUESDAYS to 24587 on your mobile phone.